The Butter Battle Book Power Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #1

"With my Triple-Sling JiggerI sure felt much bigger.I marched to the Wall with great vim and great vigor,right up to VanItch with my hand on the trigger.'I'll have no more nonsense,' I said with a frown." (52-56)

Whoever's got the biggest stick has the most power. This is the first time that Grandpa carries a better weapon than VanItch, and he feels pretty powerful holding onto that weapon. Bad news for everyone.

Quote #2

"Drop this bomb on the Zooks just as fast as you can.I have ordered all Yooks to stay safe underground while the Bitsy Big-Boy Boomeroo is around." (172-74)

Unlike earlier weapons, the Boomeroo is a weapon of mass destruction—translation: it'll take out a lot of people at once, maybe including those who wield it. Neither the Yooks nor the Zooks can actually act on their threat without risking harm to themselves. In that way, the threat of power becomes more important than the power itself.

Quote #3

"We've just votedand made you a general! You've been promoted.Your pretty new uniform's ready. Get in it!"

[…]

You just run to the wall like a nice little man" (125-27, 171).

In the first part of this quote, Grandpa is still the central figure of power: he's promoted to general with the Utterly Sputter in hand. But later, with the Boomeroo, he's just a "little man." The power ceases to be his, but rather entirely concentrated in this ultimate weapon. Plus, no more fancy hat.